Here's how to earn college credit in high school:

  1. Advanced Placement (AP). AP courses are the most popular option. There are 35 nationally designed AP courses that allow high school teachers to provide college level options on-site. Score well enough on the end-of-course exam, and you can even earn college credit. On average about 2 in 3 students do. Many high schools that don’t have AP trained teachers still offer access to AP courses on the internet.
  2. International Baccalaureate (IB). A small but growing number of schools across the globe have adopted this program, designed to offer students a high school degree rigorous enough to meet any nation’s highest standards. IB programs are available from kindergarten through graduation, and some colleges grant credit for students completing some junior and senior level IB courses.
  3. Direct Credit. Colleges send professors or deputize high school teachers to provide Direct Credit college-level courses on location at the high school, usually as part of the regular school day.
  4. Dual Enrollment. Students spend part of their day at high school and part of their day attending college classes on campus. Public high schools pick up the bulk of the college tab, but a variety of rules govern how and when they’ll do so. Students can also sign up for a course on their own dime at night, on weekends, or during breaks.
  5. Early Enrollment. Some students move directly to college before turning 18, sometimes even before graduating from high school. It’s an option used by bright students who are ready for more challenging work, but also by homeschoolers who see no need to wait. It’s used sometimes too by students who aren’t fitting in well in a traditional school setting, but show self-motivation to learn in other ways. “Both of my kids were really good students until high school and then tanked,” said Education Trust President Kati Haycock, a national advocate for student achievement. “But both of them started community college their senior year and went from Principal’s Most Wanted List to Dean’s List.”
  6. Middle College. Some high schools following this national model use a combination of AP, Direct Credit and other programs to enable students to complete up to two years of credit before high school graduation.
  7. Summer College. Many colleges run a variety of sports, arts and academic programs during the summer. Some of those programs now offer credit.
  8. Technical Credit. High school career technical centers offer some courses for credit that may transfer to some colleges for vocational degrees like CADD and Accounting.

Here's one way to lose out:

  1. If you don’t take challenging courses in high school, you may have to make up for it in college. Remedial classes can be a loser. Students are required to take remedial classes based on how they score on tests they take upon arrival. The classes cost money, but don’t provide any college credit.


Not all colleges will accept direct, technical and other forms of credit. For more info, talk to a school counselor or college admissions officer.